4 Credit Cards to Have You Flying for Free

You can travel the world for free. Yes, for free. Using the right airline credit cards can open up a world of travel that would be otherwise unattainable for the majority of people.

With so many credit card offers out there, how do you decide which one is the best for getting you free flights? You have to consider annual fees, sign-up bonuses, blackout dates and much more. Comparing airline credit cards can be tricky. Lucky for you, we’ve already found the best credit cards to get you flying for free!

Say farewell to airline blackout dates. No airline credit card will give you more flexibility in how you redeem your miles than the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card. With this formidable piece of plastic, new cardholders receive 40,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 with the card in the first 3 months. That bonus is worth $400 in travel that can be used on any airline, anytime – there are zero restrictions! To make it even sweeter, cardholders earn an unlimited 2x miles on every dollar spent (2.0 miles per dollar). Every time you use your card, you’re getting closer to your next free flight, car rental, hotel stay and more. There is a $59 annual fee, but is waived in the first year! If you do not think you can justify the annual fee due to very low spending habits, you can always consider the sister card. The Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card offers a $0 annual fee, but only gives 1.25 miles per dollar spent. The VentureOne does offer a 0% intro APR offer until 2017 and a smaller, yet valuable 20,000 bonus miles after spending only $1,000 in the first 3 months. Both of these cards offer rewards on every dollar spent, a great redemption program and have no foreign transaction fees.

Looking for a flexible travel rewards credit card? Look no further than the Discover it® Miles card. The Discover it® Miles card is the only card that will match the miles you earn in the first year. With this card, you don’t have to worry about blackout dates or rotating categories. This Discover card is known for matching reward miles for the first year. This means that if you earn 20,000 miles, Discover will match it by giving you another 20,000 miles. For a total of 40,000 miles. it has unlimited 1.5% miles on every dollar spent. Along with 0% intro APR for 12 months on purchases and no annual fee this credit card keeps the rewards you can get entirely in your hands.

For consumers who want to enjoy free flights without paying an annual fee on their credit card, the BankAmericard Travel Rewards is the best way to go. Just like the Capital One Venture, the points you earn with this credit card can be used to cover ticket purchases with any airline as well as other travel expense like rental cars or hotels. Cardholders will also enjoy an unlimited 1.5 points per dollar spent and a sign up bonus of 20,000 points after spending $1,000 with the card in the first 3 months, worth $200! To top it off, there are no foreign transaction fees and 0% APR for the first 12 billing cycles on new purchases. For those who want to get into the travel rewards space and want to avoid an annual fee, this is a great card choice to start flying for free and so much more!

For travelers with a little more credit card understanding, you can’t beat the Chase Sapphire Preferred. The beauty behind this credit card is that you can redeem your points in a number of ways to ensure you always get a great value. Points are worth 1.25 cents apiece if you redeem for free travel through the Chase online portal, but the savviest cardholders get an even better value by transferring points to one of the partner airlines or hotels. The transfer partners include Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, Hyatt Hotels, Marriott and many more. New cardholders can receive an incredible sign-up bonus of 50,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months, worth $625! These bonus points could be worth even more if strategically redeemed through an airline or hotel partner. For example, my colleague, Thomas, was able to redeem two round trip tickets selling for $631 for only 26,000 points and a $22 fee. The points can be redeemed for other items like gift cards or unique experiences. There is a $95 annual fee, but is waived in the first year! For the true travel enthusiast who has an average spend level and is willing to put in a little time and effort, you can really stretch your rewards value with this card.

The Bottom Line

If you’re not already earning points and miles on an airline credit card then you’re missing out on the opportunity fly for free. Each one of the credit card offers mentioned above are a great place to start you on your way to free flights and worldwide travel. Sign up today and be on your way to flying for free! For those who are looking to take advantage of a specific airline, please consider checking out our list of top individual airline credit card offers.

Chris focuses his efforts on actively helping consumers understand the advantages and pitfalls of personal finance. Because he never likes to get the second best deal or offer, he is committed to locating the best finance savings opportunities for consumers. Chris holds a Masters in Business Strategy from Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management.

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Our editors rate credit cards objectively based on the features the credit card offers consumers, the fees and interest rates, and how a credit card compares with other cards in its category. The ratings are the expert opinion of our editors, and not influenced by any remuneration this site receives from card issuers.

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